Project Management

Five organizing tips for a successful open government unconference

Original appearance on opensource.com. Joining the open source (and CityCamp) movement has been one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve been involved with open source for over a decade, but I never got involved in a community project in any significant way–until I found CityCamp. I haven’t submitted a single line of code,Read… Read more »

Managing Bureaucratization

Controlling an organization is difficult. The larger the organization, the more complex is the process of control. We don’t think about it too much, but what we are trying to control are changes that naturally occur. The drivers of changes are many and can be hidden in the layers of the organization. The internal driversRead… Read more »

Building the Better Burger: Cover Letters

We’ve done all the necessary preparation and have our philosophy of building the better burger. Here’s the structure I suggest for your cover letter (and I like using block paragraph format–saves space and looks cleaner): Your street address (notice your name is not here) Your City, State and Zip [one space] Date [one space] ContactsRead… Read more »

Navigating the New GovLoop Redesign

If you have been on GovLoop recently (or even if you haven’t), you have probably noticed a few changes around the site. We appreciated your patience as we rolled out the seven new community pages last week, but the fun doesn’t end there! In addition to the launch of the newly focused GovLoop community pages,Read… Read more »

To Dream is to Question

More research indicating that our inner capabilities for perception, understanding, and imagination are not three separate activities in our brains – but rather an intertwined set of abilities directed at prediction. We have an efficiency unmatched by any computer: we notice and process only that information about our world that does not match our predictiveRead… Read more »

GovBytes: Street Surveillance – Good Governance or Poor Policy?

In a post 9/11 world, surveillance is becoming prominent as more resources are allocated to fighting terrorism. There are those who oppose surveillance, such as street cameras, out of fear that the government is becoming too powerful. There is also concern that increased surveillance may be bad fiscal policy. Government Technology reported that a 2005Read… Read more »

Free PMP Exam Sample Question

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com – The answer is at the very bottom: —————————— You are managing a hardware design project in India with locally trained engineers but your client is based in the U.S. You are unable to meet your client face-to-face andRead… Read more »

Bridges to Revolution

I have long believed in bridges. No, not just to get me across lake Washington, but to shoot the gaps. A long time ago, in law school, I had the honor of being taught labor law by an incredible thinker, scholar and doer, Jim Jones at the UW Law School. In awe I asked himRead… Read more »

Including ODCs on MAS Service Contracts Can Be a Win For All

Last week the Comment of the Week focused on the opportunities for GSA leadership as customer agencies increasingly look to the agency for procurement solutions. The Comment further observed that “GSA’s commercial item contracting leadership through the MAS program can be the lynchpin in providing savings and value for customer agencies.” GSA has a wonderfulRead… Read more »

OK, I’m a Mentor. Now What?

After I posted this NAGC Mentoring Program announcement earlier this week, I got to thinking, “what are people’s expectations for mentoring?” So, I ask you, good people, what do you think makes a mentor? A mentee? Any good experiences to share, either as a mentor or mentee, and what expectations do you think are reasonableRead… Read more »